Hemp machine



K. WESSEL HEM? MACHINE July 13 1926.

Filed March 5, 1923 8 Sheetssheet l n j, M .m M

mm w E nmh. ix uw N um u x v mm,

July 13 ,1926. 1,592,317

K. wEssi-:L

HEM? MACHINE Filed March 5. 192s 8 Sheetsheet 2 Ju1y13,1926. 1,592,317

K. WESSEL HEM? MACHINE Filed Maron s. 192s 8 sheetsheet K. wassen.

HEM? MACHINE July 13 1926.

Filed March 5. 192 8 Sheetsheet 4 [Wen/20w MM TWS It WESSEL HEM? MACHINE July 1s, 1926.` l 1,592,317

Filed March 5. 192s e sheets-sheet s .k I 98 v f, 106 Il// l" O K. WESSEL H1114? MACHINE July 13, 1926.

Filed March 5. 192:5 8 shew-sheet s kut www um* July 13 1926.

- K. `wlassial.

HEM? MACHINE Filed March 5. 1923 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 July 13 1926. 1,592,317

K. wEssEl.

HEMI MACHINE Filed March 5. 192s y a sheets-sheet sa.

l 'e f 451 l l 5 i (i A t l I o I 7.75 C C) 740 f41 f7.5' v O I 12g/32120? @Zsjwweys Patented July 13, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE.-

man? MACHINE.

Application mea March t, 1923. serial No. 622,802.

Particularly, the object of my present invention is to provide an improved hemp in Fig. 5;

machine, but such machine is adapted for more general use, as will .hereinafter more fully appear. tion consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

This improved machine, in actual practice, has been found highly eflicient. for use in the production of both long and short fibre from hemp straw. It is adapted to act upon the straw as it comes from the fie1d,but to obtainv the best results, the hemp straw vshould first be retted and dried. The

main or first-grade product of the machine is a combing Vof long hempfibre suitable for use in making rope, aeroplane canvas and the like. As a secondary product of the machine, `I obtain combings or short fibres suitable for making linen rugs, oakum and the like. As avthird or further byproduct of the machine, I obtain very short fibre, shives and woody particles suitable for use in making insulating material, packing and the like. f

In the accompanyin drawings, which illustrate a commercial form of the improved machine, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the complete machine;

Fig. 2 1s a side elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 1, some parts being diagram-- matically indicated;

Fig. 3 is an enlargedV transverse vertical section taken approximately on the line 3'3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view partly in side elevation and partly in section on the line 4--4 of Fig. 1;A l

Fig. 5 is a view chiefly in side elevation but with some parts sectioned ,on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, showing portions of the gripd per belts and cooperating devices;

Fig. 6-is 'a plan view of the parts shown Fig. 7' is a view chiefly in vertical section on the line 7-,-7 of Fig. 1, some parts being brolken away and the parts being on a large sca e; A

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary plan showing certain parts found just below the line marked 8--8onFig.7; A

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary ,elevation showing Generally stated, the inven.

in detail certanportions of a combing device found in the vicinity of the line marked 9 9 on Fig. 7

Fig. 10 is a view chiefly in elevation but with some parts sectioned and some parts broken away, showing that .portion of the machine that is in the vicinity of the line marked 10- -10 on Fig. 2;

Fig'. 11 is a rear elevation showing that port-ion of the machine that is in the vlcinity of the line marked 11-'11 on Fig. 1;

Fig. 12Qis a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 11, some parts being broken away;

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary transverse sec tion taken approximately on the line 13--13 of Fig. 11; and

Fig. 14 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the irregular line 111-14 of Fig. 12.

. Directing attention first to Figs. 1, 2 and 4, the numeral 15 indicates the heavy cast framework of the breaking mechanism or machine and on which are mounted cooperative pairs .of lower and upper intermeshing corrugated'breaking rollers 16 and 17. The

lower rollers are provided with bevel gears 18 that mesh with bevel pinions 19 on a horizontal drive shaft 20 journaled in suitable bearings on the framework 15. The upper rollers 17 are capable of slight vertical movements to permit the hemp straws y to pass between the intermeshing corrugations of said rollers and, as shown, the bearings.

Said upper rollers are mounted and yieldingly` pressed downward by coiled springs 21 subject to adjustin o screws 22 whereb the tension of the ro 1ers may be varie The cooperating pairs of rollers from the receiving toward the delivery end" of the breaking machine, that is, from the left toward the right in respect'to Figs. 1, 2 and 4, are made progressively shallower and shallower but all have their pitch line on the same diameter. This is important because it gives the corrugated breaking rollers all substantially the same external surface, measured on the cross-section of their corrugations, and prevents breaking and stretc ing of the hemp fibre, but pro ressively reduces the woody substance o the hemp straw to a finer and finer condition.

The hemp straws are laid crosswise on a feed table 23, which, at one front corner, is

pivoted at 24 for angular adjustments in respect to .the breaking machine. Working up vthrough'the feed table 23 is a pair 0f toothed feed chains 25 that run over suitably driven sprockets 26 mounted on the under side of said table. lVhen the table ris thus set obliquely to the breaking rollers, the hemp straws will be delivered obliquely between the said rollers and will be fed from the one pair of rollers to the other, not directly endwise but on oblique lines.

From the breaking rollers, the hemp straw, with the woody substance and shives quite well loosened or separated from the fibre, will be received by an elevating or endless transfer apron 27 which, as shown, is made up of two sections and arranged to run over correspondingly formed rollers 28 and 29 secured on cross shafts 30 and 31 mounted in suitable bearings on an extension 15"L of the framewor: 15. The shaft 31 is driven from one of the lower rollers 16 through a sprocket and chain drive 32, best shown in Fig. 1. The apron 27 delivers the fibre onto and crosswise of the receiving end of a guide rail 33 that projects between the sections of the apron 27 and extends below the upper surface thereof, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 4. This receiving end of the rail 33 is supported by the extension 15" of the framework 15. The hemp fibre y1 will be intermedi ately supported by the rail 33 and will hang down on both sides thereof. However, the rail 33 engages the fibres y1 considerably nearer to one end than to the other, so that the fibres will hang down much further on the righthand than on the left-hand side, of said rail. Here it may be stated that the rail 33 is the left-hand member of two rails, the righthand member 34 of which extends parallel to but is offset from the first or left-hand rail 33. The rear end of the rail 33 and the front end of the rail 34 are overlapped longitudinally of the machine and rigidly supported, and the said rail 34 extends far in the rear of the rail By reference to Fig. 7, it will be noted that-the rails 33 and. 34 are supported on a framework 36 and in cross-section are formed ontheir upper surfaces with laterally spaced longitudinal V shaped ridges and intervening channels.

lVorking directly over the rails 33 and 34.

'are endless gripper belts made up of pivotally connected metallic links 37. the outer surfaces of which are formed with V-shaped grooves that quite closely fit or correspond to the upper faces of the cooperating rails. Also.v these links 37 are provided with projecting gripper saw-shaped teeth that work in the channels of said rails between the V-shaped ridges thereof, as best shown in Fig. 7. The gripper belts made up of the links 37 are arranged to run over sprocket wheels 39 on shafts 40 and trunnions'etl. The shafts 40 and trunnions 41 are journaled iu elongated supporting frames shown as made up of parallel plates 42 set edgewise in vertical planes, spaced by brackets 43, and

tied together by nut-equipped bolts 44. The brackets 43 are secured on the lower ends of hanger bolts 45, which, at their upper ends, are supported from one of the beams of a framework 46.

The lower portions of the link belts 37 are yieldingly pressed down-onto the underlying cooperating rails 33 and 34 by a series of small roller-equipped levers 47, the upper ends of which are spring-connected to cooperating bars 48 anchored to the frame plates 42. 'lhese spring-pressed roller-equipped levers cause the belts and cooperating rails to hold the tibre against endwise slipping movements while it is being fed over or past the shaker and past primary and secondary or' right and left hackle drums presently to be described.

'l`he\, fibre delivered onto the primary or left-hand rail 33 will first be carried over or through a shaker in the form of an open rack arranged to vibrate laterally and thereby loosen and precipitate shives and woody particles and the short fibres. This shaker is preferably made of horizontal laterally spaced bars 49 cross-connected by bars 50. 'lhe bars 49 converge toward the front of the machine and. are united and pivotally connected at 51, (see- Fig. 4), to an adjacent portion of' the frame 15. The rear portion of this shaker rack is supported by laterally movable resilient legs 52, (see particularly Fig. 3). A yoke 53 is connected tothe intermediate portion of the rack and the depending portion thereof is pivotally connected to a reciprocating rod 54, the outer end of which is equipped with an eccentric strap that works on an eccentric 56 carried by the rearwardly extended portion ofthe shaft 20. Below the shaker rack 49-50 is a so-called separating deck, the same, preferably and as shown` being a fork-like structure made up of laterally spaced tines 57 intermediately connected to a rock shaft 58 journaled in bearings 59 on the frame 46 and provided with an upstanding arm 60 towhich a head block 61 is adjusta-bly secured. This head block 61 is connected to one end of a reciprocating rod 6:2, the outer end of which is provided with an eccentric strap 63 that works on an eccentric 64 carried by the shaft 2f). At its right-hand side and as viewed in Fig. 3. the deck 57 is arranged, to deliver onto a long endless carrier belt. 65 tliat runs over suitably supported front and rear guide, rollers 66 and 67 and is arranged to deliver to the receiving belt of a tow machine hereinafter to be described.

Shives or woody portions and other small particles that are shaken through the separating deck 57 drop onto a long endless conveyor belt 68 that runs over suitably sup- 4ported and driven rollers 69 and 70.

As the fibre iS moved rearward on the` ltlf) whereas the right-hand portion of the fibre' was the long end whilel moving on the rail 33, thelefthand portion of the fibre will be the long end while moving on the second or right-hand rail 34. This is important'be cause of the relative arrangement of the socalled primary and secondary or right and left hackle drums, which will. now be described.

'The right and left hackle drums are mountedto .rotate on axes that extend longitudinally of the complete machine,.and the right-hand hackle drum is mounted just at the right of the rear portion of the left-hand rail 33, while the left-hand hackle drum is mounted just at the left of the rear portion of the right-hand rail 34. The two hackle drums are preferably of the same construction, but the two drums are arranged to be rotated in opposite directions,

that is,4 as viewedby a person facing the re. ceiving end of the machine, the first or 4right-hand drum will be rotated in an anticlockwise direction while the second or lefthand drum will be rotated in aclockwise direction.

These so-called hackle drums, as shown and as preferably designed, comprise wheel-like heads 72 secured to shafts 73 journaled in fixed frames 74 and rovided at their front ends with pulleys` 5. The rims of the Cwheels 7 2 are connected by parallel circumferentially spaced angle bars 76, 77 and 78 that are preferably alternated in the order stated, so .that the several' bars make up a sort of skeleton cylinder. The bars 7 6 act on the fibre as scotching bars or blades for pressing the fibre while it is bein combed. The bars 77 hold brushes 79, pre erably of wire, that remove the.loosened but adhering woody portion or shives from the fibre. To the angle bars 78 are rigidly secured reversed angle bars 80, (see particularly Figs. 7, 8 and 9), the outery flanges of which are provided withdeep notches 81. Between the fianges of the angle bars 78 and 80 are secured spring-aligning rods 82 shown as of tubular fqrm. To provide the drum with yielding hackle pins or combing teeth, I

. employ spring members 83, the intermediate portions of which are coiled aroundthe aligning rod 82. The inner ends of these springs bear 'against the bar 78 and thev outer ends project through and are guided by the slots 81 of the angle bars 80.

By reference to Fig. 8, it will be noted that the pin-forming end portions 83v of the springs 83 are sharpened-so that they afford ood hackle pins or comb teeth, and that t ey are arranged much closer together at, the rear than at the front or receiving portions of the drums.

The above noted progressive closer spacing of the hackle pins is important because the straightening out of the fibre is produced gradually or step by step and the final Vcombing to substantially straight condition is accomplished after the main body of fibre has first been very well straightened or combed out.

For cooperation with each hackle drum, there is a segmental grate or concave '84, (see particularrFigs. 7 and 10). These grates are rigi ly secured adjacent to the drums and extend downward from the railsupporting bars 36 adjacentlto the sides of the rails from which the vlong ends of the fibre hang, so that-said long ends of the fibre will be passed between the grates and the cooperating vhackle drums. At their lower portions, the grates are shown as supported by cross members 74n of the cooperating frames 74.

To fadilitate delivery of the long depending ends of the fibre between the drums and cooperating grates 'or concaves, the front ends of the hackle drums are preferably beveled or made slightly conical, as indicated at 85 in Figs. 1, 2 and 8.

To obtain the best action, the hackle drums should be quite accurately set in'respect to the cooperating grates or concaves and, hence, the drum-carrying shafts` 73 (see Fig. 10) are mounted in bearing `boxes J86 that 'are obliquely adjustable and are rigidly but adjustably secured by screws 87 and 88 to bearing brackets 89 that are rigid on the frame 74.

' Mounted belojv the delivery ends of the gratos 84 are so-cal1ed rattle rakes 89 secured to rock shafts 90 journaled in the base of the Vframes 74 and provided with arms 91. One of the rattle rakes 89 delivers onto the rear portion of the belt and the other delivers onto a similar but shorter belt 65,

(see Figs. 1,2 and 10). The belt 65a runs over pulleys 92 carried by shafts 93 mounted in suitable fixed bearings and provided with a sprocket 94. Fine materials, such as the shives and extremely short fibre, will pass through the rattle rakes 84 and, by oblique plates 95, will be delivered onto the long carrier belt 68, The shives that pass through the grates 84 will fall Aon the deflecting plates 96 and will be directed over the belts 65 and 65a and onto the carrier belt 68, .(see particularly Fig. 10).

.ting arms 91- by connectin The long fibre carried off from the dehvery endv of the second or right-hand rail 34 may be caught on a hook-shaped arm 97 shown asl secured to the under side of said rail as best shown in Fig. 2.

The hackle drums and conveyors above noted may be driven by any suitable means, but, as shown, the following driving counections areV provided therefor. VMounted. on bearings on the tops of the two frames 74 is a longitudinal shaft 98 prt'ided with a pulley 99 over which a power-driven belt, not shown, is adapted to run. Belts 100 run over the pulleys 75 onv the drum shafts and over aligned pulleys 101 on said shaft 98. The shaft 20 is driven from the shaft 98 through a belt 102 that runs over pulleys 103-104 carried respectively by said shafts. The rattle rakes 89 are vibrated by eccentrics 105 that are connected to the cooperarods 106, (see particularly Figs. 1 and 10 By reference to Fig. 10, it will be further noted that,of the two drum-driving lelts 100, one thereof is a cross belt and the other is an ordinary ,belt which is required to give the two drums the reverse direction of rotation already stated.

The rear shafts 40, which transmit to the two gripper belts 33vand- 34, may be driven by any suitable means. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the rear shaft 40 that drives the reargripper belt is driven from the shaft 98, first through intermeshing bevel gears 107 and a sprocket and chain drive 108. Also, as shown, the rear shaft 41 that drives the front gripper belt is driven from the first not-ed shaft 41 through a sprocket and chain drive 109. 4

The belts and 65*L may be driven by an f suitable means, but, as shown, are driven from the shaft 98, first throughthe above noted gears 107 and then through a sprocket and chain drive 110 l(see particularly Fig. 2). Moreover, as s own, the belt 68 is driven from the rearmost shaft 40 through a sprocket and chain drive 111, (see Fig. 2), but may be driven by any other suitable means.

The carrier belts 65 and 65x both deliver to a transverse `endless apron or conveyor belt 112 and this latter belt delivers the short fibre to a tow machine presently to be described. The carrier belt 68 delivers the shives and \fine woody particles away from the machine and is preferably driven in a direction to carryl the same toward the front of the'machine or from the right toward the left in respect to Figs- 1 and 2. Obviously, this belt may be of any desired length and preferably will be longer than illustrated in the drawings. y

The framework of the tow machine is made up chiefly of heavy latreally spaced side frames 113 suitably .tied together and rigidly connected. The transverse conveyor 112 delivers to a plurality of pairs of cooperating lower and upper breaking rollers 114-115, (see Figs. 11, 12, 13 and 14). The shafts ofthe lower rollers are providedat one end with spur gears 116 that mesh with spur gears117 'ournaled on one of the side frames 113. T e gears 117 are secured to rotate with larger spur gears 118, both of which mesh with a spur pinion 119 mount-- ed on a stud on the frame 113 and connected to rotate with a spur gear 120. The gear 120 meshes with a spur pinion 121 journaled on a stud on the side frame 113 and connected to rotate with a pulley 122. One of the gears 118 meshes with a spur gear 123 carried by a roller 124 journaled to the side frames 113 andserving as the driving roller for the transverse belt 112.

The upper rollers 115 have shafts 125 journaled in bearings 126 thatgare guided for vertical movements by fixedpost-s 127 and are spring-pressed downward by coiled springs 128. The springs 128 are progressed between the bearings 126/ and ad]usting screws 129 that are `Amounted in bars 130 fixed to the upper ends of the posts 127.

The vrollers 114-115 are longitudinally corrugated and the pairs, from right to left.

in respect to Figs. 11, 12 and 14, have progressively finer and finer corrugations, the said corrugations preferably arranged on a plan more fully described in connection with the beraking rollers 16 and`17.

The last pair of rollers 114-115 delivers to a toothed carding drum 131 carried by a shaft 132 journaled in the side frames 113 and provided at one end with an eccentric 133 and with fixed and loose pulleys 134-135, (see Figs. 11 and 12). Also, the shaft 132 is provided with a small pulley 136 over which and the pulley 122 runs a driving belt 137. The cylindrical rim of the carding drum 131 is provided with closely positioned outwardly projecting conica teeth or carding pins 138 that work close to the concave surface of a segmental grate139 that is fixed to and supported by the side frames 113. Adjacent to the delivery pair o'f rollers 114-115, there is a toothed segmental concave 140 that follows the line of the segmental grate 139 and has inwardly projecting teeth 141 between which the teeth of the carding drum are arranged to pass. The numeral 142 indicates a hood that closely overlies the upper portion of the carding drum.

The side frames 113 havel rear end extensions 113a. A long .toothed rattle rake 143 extends horizontally into the space between the frame extensions 113a -and includes a rock shaft 144 mounted in the side frames and provided at one outer end with a rigidly secured bell crank 145. One arm of the bell crank 145 is equipped Wtha counterweight 146 and the other arm thereof is pivotally more than one-half of the length of the and adjustably connected, by a nut-equipped bolt 147 or the like, -to the head of a connecting rod 148 that is provided at its other end with an eccentric strap 149 that works on the eccentric 133 carried by the drum shaft 132.

conveying apron 152 shojwn only by dottedl lines in Fig. 11. This belt may be driven by any suitable means and it will operate to carry the shives and fine particles caught thereby to the long conveyor belt 68.

Summary of operation.

The operation4 of the hemp machine above described has already been indicated in part, but the general operation may be briefly summarized as follows:

The hemp straw placed on the feed table 23 will, by the feed belts 25, be fed obliquely between the breaking rollers 17 and, by the latter, the shives and woody portions will be progressively broken andA loosened from the fibre without, however, breaking or cutting the fibre. f f

From the breaking rollers, the fibre and commingled shives and woody particles will, b the apron 27, be fed rearward and the libre will be delivered onto the primary or so-called left-hand receiving rail 33 with .the ends of the long fibres hanging down farther on the ri ht-hand thanon the left-hand side. Such o the shives as are entirely free from the fibre will fall from the apron 27 onto the long underlying conveyor belt 68.

The fibre delivered onto the said rail 33 will,` by the cooperating gripper belt, be fed or slid rearward on said rail and as it is thus moved `with the ends of the fibre hanging through the shaker rack 49, the latter, by its vibratory motion, will loosen and shake from the fibre most of the remaining or adhering shives or woody portions and these will also fall onto the slnderlying conveyor belt 68.

As the fibre is Vfed between the `first or right-hand carding drum 72 and its cooper'- ating concave, the long right-hand portlon,

to wit: morethan one-half of the fibre, will be combed out into straight condition and the adhering shives or woody particles will be further removed from the fibre.

As the bre passes further rearward, it

vwill be'transferred from the primary or left'- .hand `rail 33 .onto the secondary or righthand rail 34, and in making this transfer,

libre will be caused to hang down at the left-hand side of said rail 34 for delivery between the secondary or left-hand carding drum and its cooperating concave and grate. Obviously, under the action of this secondary or left-hand carding drum, the' left side and more than one-half of the fibre will be combed out into straight condition and adhering shives or woody particles will be removed therefrom. Also, .it will be remembered that the above noted, carding actions are progressive kin that they get closer and finer in the combing action toward the rear ends of said carding drums.

Under the carding actions above described, the spring teeth or pins 83a perform the combing action and the edges of the bars 76 and 78 produce a scutching or scraping action which tends to remove adhering shives from the fibre and the brushes 79 brush loose the fine particles, so that a very clean fibre will be delivered from the second carding drum onto the hook 97.y

As already indicatedLthe short fibre will, by the conveyor belts`65 and 65, be delivered to the 'cross belt or conveyor 68 and from thence will be delivered to the tow machine and, by the latter, will be treated and delivered in the form of tow, all as heretofore described.

What I claim isz' 1. In a libre-producing machine, the combination with breaking mechanism, of shaking mechanism receiving from said breaking mechanism, hackling mechanism receiving from said shaking mechanism, the

said mechanisms cooperating to deliver long v driven in' cooperation with the. mechanisms described and receiving the short fibre therefrom and converting the same into tow.

2. The mechanisms definedI in claim 1 in further combination with a conveyor receiving the shives or woody portions precipitated from the several mechanisms described and including said tow machine and delivering the 'same at a. common point of discharge. A

3. The mechanismsdened in claim 1 in which said tow machine has a receiving conveyor arranged to operate transversely of the line offeed of the fibre through. the several other mechanisms described.

4. In a fibre machine, the' combination with two laterally and longitudinally offset rails and means for delivering fibre onto the rstthereof, of cooperating ripper belts workingV over the said rails, t e said rails and gripper belts having interlapping ribs and channels, and means for transferr rinlg the fibre from the first to the'second ral 5. The structure dened in` claim 4 in further combination with right and left toothed combing drums arranged to operate on the fibre moved by said gripper belts 5 over the respective rails.

6. The structure defined in claim 4 in further combination with right and left toothed combing drums arranged to operate on the ibre moved by said gripper bets over the respective rails, and toothed concaves and segmental grates cooperating with said combing drums.

In testimony whereof I aiix my slgnature.

L WESSELL 

